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AGE-FRIENDLY NEW ENGLAND: CREATING HEALTHY AGING DATA REPORTS TO SPUR SOCIAL CHANGE
Elizabeth Dugan, Frank W. Porell, Nina M. Silverstein, C Lee, Bongjun Kim, Sinead Zhen Wang, Natalie Pitheckoff. Innovation in Aging, 2018-11-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Across New England stakeholders are promoting healthy aging by building age-friendly communities (healthyagingdatareports.org). Each state data report includes community profiles with 120+ indicators of healthy aging at the local community level (MA n=367; RI n=41; NH n=220). Rarely is healthy aging data reported at such a local level. Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, US Census and other sources were analyzed using small area estimation techniques to determine age/sex adjusted community rates. Interactive online maps show the distribution of disease and highlight health disparities. Selected results include state rates for MA/RI adults 65+ with: diabetes (32%/36%), hypertension (78%/79%), stroke (13%/13%), Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias (14%/14%), depression (29%/30%), and 4+ chronic conditions (59%/64%). Multivariate analyses showed differences in population health and identified modifiable risk factors for community health.
Key findings
- Selected results include state rates for MA/RI adults 65+ with: diabetes (32%/36%), hypertension (78%/79%), stroke (13%/13%), Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias (14%/14%), depression (29%/30%), and 4+ chronic conditions (59%/64%).
Why it matters
This project created community-level data reports on healthy aging across New England, including rates of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias among adults 65 and older. It provides local information that could help communities target health disparities, but it does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants367
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 29/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 28 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 29 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Innovation in Aging) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Innovation in Aging: journal h-index 48 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 367 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Natalie Pitheckoff holds only 8 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | University of Massachusetts Boston: institution h-index 369 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 28 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 28 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 29 out of 100. |
| Total | 29 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Dugan, E., Porell, F. W., Silverstein, N. M., Lee, C., Kim, B., Wang, S. Z., et al. (2018). AGE-FRIENDLY NEW ENGLAND: CREATING HEALTHY AGING DATA REPORTS TO SPUR SOCIAL CHANGE. Innovation in Aging. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igy023.691
Vancouver
Dugan E, Porell FW, Silverstein NM, Lee C, Kim B, Wang SZ, et al. AGE-FRIENDLY NEW ENGLAND: CREATING HEALTHY AGING DATA REPORTS TO SPUR SOCIAL CHANGE. Innovation in Aging. 2018. doi:10.1093/geroni/igy023.691.
BibTeX
@article{dugan2018-45acbb8e,
author = {Dugan, Elizabeth and Porell, Frank W. and Silverstein, Nina M. and Lee, C and Kim, Bongjun and Wang, Sinead Zhen and Pitheckoff, Natalie},
title = {{AGE-FRIENDLY NEW ENGLAND: CREATING HEALTHY AGING DATA REPORTS TO SPUR SOCIAL CHANGE}},
journal = {Innovation in Aging},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1093/geroni/igy023.691},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igy023.691}
}
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